Monday, June 28, 2010

I'm not so much for the cover of this book. I mean, if you look at the vamp in a certain light, he looks so pale he's almost sparkly. And we all know how I feel about sparkly vampires. Badly.

Disclaimer: "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks is a library copy. I was not given this book, or any sort of incentive, for a positive review.

Type: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Series

From the back of the book: " FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her - except Robby MacKay?
Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captic - but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life - along with giving her a first time she'll never forget... "

I have read a book by this author, and actually in this series, before. And while it was good, I didn't go out actively searching for more of her books. Since then, I have picked up one or two at sales and such, but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. I keep buying books at used sales, garage sales, etc.. and then never get to them. Quite frustrating! Also, not the point. A while ago, I happened accross the synopsis for "The Vampire and the Virgin" and I said to myself - Yep, gotta read that one. I'm really glad I finally got my hands on a copy.

I have a thing for cop dramas (Bones! Castle!.. Etc!) And some of my favorite episodes are when the heroine goes up against a serial killer, either after he's already in jail or not, and even though he teases her, scares her, and more, she's willing to take on the case, and eventually kicks the bad guy's butt. And that situation is what Olivia faces. Olivia is an interesting character, with an even more interesting ability - she can sense people's emotions, as well as tell when they're lying. Because of that, she doesn't date people for long. The instant she knows he's lying, he's outta there! Except for Robby, whom she can't read. So Olivia, so used to knowing where she stood in a relationship, was thrown for a bit of a loop, which I enjoyed seeing. I was a little thrown at how quickly she got paranoid and how easily she believed Robby could betray her (not really any spoilers here, people, it happens early on). But the reader has to remember, Olivia is somehow being stalked by a man who is in an isolated cell in prison. If someone was stalking me, sending me letters and packages and scaring the crap out of me, I would be quite paranoid as well.

And Robby... dang do I love a man who wears a kilt! I'm a big fan of the kilt. I'm also a big fan of finding out if the myth of men wearing nothing under their kilts is true or not. And I couldn't help chuckling to myself when this legend is brought up in the book during a Christmas get-together. Robby undergoes a transformation throughout the book, from a vampire bent on revenge to the man Olivia needs and loves. I loved watching his character grow. I also loved seeing how his and Olivia's long distance relationship developed. From emails, to picture sharing, telling stories of family and friends, and eventually to getting webcams to chat face-to-face. It was.. dare I say it? CUTE!

As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of series. Especially series were each book features a different character, or each character gets their own run of books, then it switches. Some examples of this are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, etc. Kerrelyn Sparks' Love At Stake books follow this tradition, and past characters show up as friends, family, etc. And because of "The Vampire and the Virgin," I found some more single side characters that I cannot wait to see get their own stories, and I hope they do. So I will definitely be checking out more of this series in the future.

I'm going to give "The Vampire and the Virgin" a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I enjoyed it, enough that I'll be looking for more by this author in the future. Especially if they include more kilted men. It's hard to go wrong with more kilted men.

Check out "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks!
Happy Reading
~!~ Morning Glow

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About Me

Reader, writer, librarian, and now.. Book Reviewer. I've always loved to read, and it's been a nonstop parade of books in and out of my life since I was in first grade. Now I do book reviews, and my love has truly become a novel addiction.